Chapter 60: Courtroom Dispute, Chen Mo Solves the Case! (Please Follow!)

Golden Water Bridge.

An arched bridge spans the murmuring river; its body is carved entirely from white jade, resembling a brilliant jade belt under the sunlight, connecting the inside and outside of the Imperial Palace.

Past the Golden Water Bridge lies the Fengtian Gate.

This is the path that all civil and military officials must take to attend the morning court.

According to the laws of the Great Yuan, there is one morning court session at the beginning and middle of each month.

Ever since the Martial Valiant Emperor became bedridden with a severe illness and unable to preside over state affairs, discipline had slackened and the system had become a mere formality.

After the Empress announced she would listen to politics from behind the curtain, she revitalized the court and increased the sessions to three times a month, holding court every ten days.

On the day of the morning court, civil and military officials must arrive at the Imperial Palace before the hour of the Rabbit, wait for the bell to ring before the Golden Water Bridge, and then pass through the Fengtian Gate to enter the main hall.

At this moment, there is still a quarter of an hour before entering the hall, and the officials are gathered in groups of three or five, chatting and laughing.

The scene appears harmonious, but in reality, the lines are clearly drawn.

On the left is the group of censorate officials, primarily from the Censorate and the Office of Scrutiny.

They monitor the hundred officials and initiate impeachments, mockingly referred to by opposing factions as "vultures and hyenas," implying they feed on rotting flesh and entrails, never letting go once they bite.

On the right is the group holding real power, primarily from the Six Ministries.

Among them, the Ministry of Personnel avoids factional strife, while the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Revenue lead the rest; they have both power and money, and their backs are quite straight.

"Have you heard about the incident at the Drunken Moon Pavilion?"

"I heard. The entire restaurant was torn down... I still had fifty catties of top-grade peach blossom wine stored there."

"It is said that Chen Mo did it. Not only did he kill people, he also slashed a Battalion Commander of the Heavenly Qilin Guard!"

"Hiss, him again?"

"Not only that, the Lin family and the Zhou family were also involved, and Young Master Zhou was even forced to kneel in public..."

"Nonsense! Vice Minister Zhou is no weaker than Chen Zhuo; how could Zhou Jing'an end up like that?"

"Let me finish! It wasn't Chen Mo he knelt to, it was the gold medal! That kid, somehow, actually has a Flying Phoenix Token..."

The crowd discussed in low voices.

Zhou Chuanbing, dressed in purple robes, stood not far away, his temples slightly gray, possessing an air of unprovoked authority.

At this moment, his face was gloomy and very unsightly.

Although the matter had been suppressed, there is no wall in the world that does not let the wind through.

The news of Zhou Jing'an being forced to kneel had already spread in the circles; this was undoubtedly trampling the Zhou family's dignity into the dirt!

Yan Peizhi, standing to the side, frowned and said, "What exactly is Her Majesty thinking? It was just the execution of a demon; promoting him to Battalion Commander was already an exceptional reward. Why did she even give him a Flying Phoenix Token?"

Zhou Chuanbing said in a deep voice, "Need you guess? Naturally, it is to win over Chen Zhuo!"

In his eyes, Chen Mo had no such value at all; how could a mere lackey and hound receive the Empress's favor?

"Her Majesty is also muddled. The Chen family is firmly tied to Imperial Consort Yu; how could they possibly change their allegiance?"

Yan Peizhi shook his head.

Zhou Chuanbing's expression turned slightly ferocious as he said, "In the court today, I will certainly demand an explanation!"

Yan Peizhi's eyes also turned cold.

He had suffered setbacks before the Empress time and again, all because of Chen Mo.

Now that Yan Liang is still detained in the imperial prison, many officials are implicated.

Although he is his own nephew, he now only hopes that Yan Liang dies quickly so as not to draw the fire onto himself.

"I already made concessions regarding the Ministry of Revenue corruption case, yet they still don't know what's good for them..."

"Do they really think I am made of mud?"

Dong—

The bell rang.

The noisy atmosphere suddenly turned solemn.

The officials lined up according to their rank, civil officials on the left and military officials on the right, walking across the Golden Water Bridge in order.

Zhou Chuanbing happened to be lined up behind Chen Zhuo.

He deliberately cleared his throat to attract the attention of others and mocked, "Master Chen, you have certainly raised a good son!"

Chen Zhuo looked back and glanced at him, his eyes complex, "Master Zhou, you... also have a good son."

?

Zhou Chuanbing frowned slightly.

According to Chen Zhuo's past personality, hearing him be so sarcastic would have led to him greeting his ancestors for eighteen generations.

His attitude this time was a bit unusual...

Did he cave in?

Right, Chen Mo is in charge of the demon race case, and now there is no progress at all; the deadline is approaching, and he has no way to report back!

"Know fear now? Hmph, too late!"

"This matter is not over!"

Zhou Chuanbing curled his lips into a cold sneer.

Chen Zhuo shook his head and said no more.

They passed through the Fengtian Gate and stepped into the Golden Throne Hall.

They saw the dragon chair above was empty, and next to it stood a bamboo curtain, thin as a cicada's wing and shaped like brocade, through which one could vaguely see a bright yellow figure sitting upright.

"Long live, long live, long, long live our Emperor!"

The officials performed the kowtow and three-bow ritual toward the dragon chair.

Then they kowtowed to the Empress, "May Your Majesty live for a thousand years, a thousand years, a thousand, thousand years!"

A cold voice came from behind the bamboo curtain: "All rise."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

The officials rose.

Eunuch Jin, dressed in python robes, said loudly, "State your business if you have any, or withdraw from court if you do not."

"Your subject has a matter to report!"

As soon as the voice fell, Xu Lin, the Minister of the Grand Court of Revision, stepped out with a tablet in hand.

"Your subject wishes to impeach Battalion Commander Yun He of the Heavenly Qilin Guard!"

"In the case of 'raising barbarian slaves,' the culprit has been in prison for over a month, yet the case remains unresolved, and he has repeatedly refused interrogation by the three judicial offices!"

"Your subject has reason to suspect that Yun He is shielding the culprit, deceiving those above and hiding the truth from them! I hope Your Majesty will see through his treachery and order him to step down and yield his position to the worthy, so as to rectify the public view!"

Xu Lin's voice was resonant, echoing in the main hall.

"Your subject seconds this!"

"Your subject seconds this!"

"Master Xu speaks the truth!"

At Yan Peizhi's signal, several ministers from the Ministry of Justice echoed the sentiment.

When the atmosphere quieted, the Empress's indifferent voice rose: "Yun He, is there such a thing?"

Behind, a middle-aged man in scarlet official robes stepped out and bowed, saying, "Reporting to Your Majesty, the barbarian slave case is not that simple; it involves a great deal..."

As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of many ministers changed slightly.

At this time, Zhou Chuanbing spoke up: "Battalion Commander Yun, I fear this is what Master Chen taught you to say, right?"

"As far as I know, Chen Mo interrogated Yan Liang in private, and ever since then, Yan Liang has kept his mouth shut and refused to admit his guilt."

"Could it be that the two of them have reached some deal? Trying to frame and implicate others?"

The ministers nodded one after another.

As long as there is no ironclad evidence, it is all considered framing!

Yun He said indifferently, "Vice Minister Zhou is certainly very clear about the internal affairs of the Heavenly Qilin Guard."

Zhou Chuanbing narrowed his eyes and sneered, "I am concerned about the case and wish to share the burden for Your Majesty; is that a mistake?"

"Furthermore, I have heard of Chen Mo's reputation; relying on his merit in slaying demons, he is tyrannical, overbearing, and acts recklessly!"

"He holds a position without doing the work, perfunctory and negligent; he is responsible for investigating the demon race case, yet there has been no progress at all!"

"And he has abused the gold medal, usurped imperial authority, and committed a crime of treason!"

The gold medal bestowed by the Empress does not mean it can be used at will.

Theoretically speaking, Chen Mo's Flying Phoenix Token can only be used to enter and exit the Imperial Palace.

Showing it in public is indeed a violation of the rules.

The group of censorate officials were displeased upon hearing this.

"Nonsense!"

"Master Zhou, do not confuse the public!"

"One must speak with evidence; how can petty people be allowed to stir up trouble in the court?!"

"Presumptuous, who are you calling a petty person?"

"You bird-man, &*%￥#..."

Both sides pointed at each other's noses and shouted, their faces red and necks thick; for a moment, all sorts of street profanities were flying.

Eunuch Jin's eyelids twitched wildly.

The factional strife in the Great Yuan is intense, and scenes of "hair-pulling" do occur from time to time.

But to cause such a scene over a minor sixth-rank official is truly the first time I have seen it...

Behind the bamboo curtain, the Empress rubbed her brow.

"I gave him the token so he would stand on the right side, but look at him, he actually used it to show off his power?"

"He doesn't even care about the Demon Race case... when the deadline arrives, let's see how you explain yourself!"

She could not help but feel a bit more dissatisfied with Chen Mo in her heart.

At this moment, Chen Zhuo, who had been silent all along, straightened his official robes, stepped out of the ranks, and bowed, saying:

"Reporting to Your Highness, as far as this humble official knows, the Demon Race case has already been solved!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the great hall instantly fell silent!